Don Letts tells the story of punk and reggae through John Peel's record collection

Following on from Joe Boyd and DJ Mala, Don Letts provides the third selection as part of the ongoing John Peel Archive's Record Box project.

As part of the ongoing John Peel Archive's Record Box project, director, DJ, and BBC Radio 6 host Don Letts was invited to come and sift through Peel's record collection, telling us the story of his musical loves – notably punk and reggae – vicariously through the treasure trove that Peel had amassed throughout his years at the pioneering forefront of almost every pre-'00s UK music scene, a collection that's "not just dusty records on a shelf, [but] a road map to the development of popular music as we know it."

So you can imagine that Don Letts didn't have too much trouble finding the records to help him tell the story of punk and reggae. He picks Led Zepellin's II for its heavy and incubative-metal sound, the collaboration between Augustus Pablo and King Tubby – cult album King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown – for its fresh and influential roots reggae sound, Cut by punk-band-with-a-difference The Slits because of its African rhythms and dub sensibilities, amongst a host of other records that chart the evolutions and offshoots of Letts' favourite genres: dub, reggae, punk.

You can head on over to Don Letts' Record Box, hosted by BBC-funded online gallery The Space, to read his blurbs around each record, with a 20-minute documentary split into segments as you scroll down the page.

"The John Peel Archive once again offers a fresh perspective on the world of John Peel's record collection for many music fans to enjoy," says Cian Smyth, producer of The Space. "Don Letts provides the third Record Box, after Joe Boyd and DJ Mala. It offers access for audiences all over the world to Don Letts' personal journey through the history of Reggae and Punk music, its influences and inspirations."

Music history, criticism, and personal stories come to life through this fascinating use of the Peel Archive, so stick around and keep an ear out for the fourth Record Box.